


patron saint of wutai

by sleepees



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:40:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23852458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepees/pseuds/sleepees
Summary: "Didn't know you had such a big heart, princess.""Says the guy spending three nights a week trying to get his best friend laid."
Relationships: Reno/Rufus Shinra, Reno/Yuffie Kisaragi, Tifa Lockhart/Rude
Comments: 57
Kudos: 43





	1. i'll only drink about you

_i kinda wish you liked me more but  
i don't care much_

* * *

"Why are _they_ always here?" 

Yuffie says it a little too loudly on purpose, shooting the two ex-turks sitting at the other end of the bar a look to drive home who her comment is directed at.

Tifa just smiles wryly in response, and refills her friend's glass before turning away to help another patron.

Yuffie had been spending more time in Edge recently, and had taken to crashing with Tifa at Seventh Heaven. At first, it had been because Tifa was always the most reliable at returning Yuffie's calls, and then eventually became more because Tifa seemed to actually kind of _enjoy_ having her. Which Yuffie _totally_ isn't making up to feel less bad about taking advantage of her friend's hospitality. Really. Yuffie had even suggested that she could couch surf at Reeve's, or with Barret and Marlene, or even at Vincent's weird apartment, but Tifa had all but insisted that Yuffie stay with her instead.

 _Seriously_ , Yuffie had said, _it wouldn't be the first time Reeve's let me sleep on his couch._

Yuffie had actually pushed it until Tifa, a little red in the face, finally cracked and said, _I like having you here_. 

Her quiet omission had been enough for Yuffie, who was kind of worried about Tifa being kinda lonely and kinda down anyways, especially since Cloud had been away more frequently doing odd jobs. So naturally, Yuffie'd start treating Seventh Heaven like it was her basically her home too, leading her to spending more and more time in the actual bar during open hours, especially cause most of their old friends tended to pop by the bar. Even Cid, the only one besides Yuffie or Nanaki who wasn't exactly local, flew in from time to time to slam back a whiskey and check in.

Tifa always seemed a little brighter when someone she knew was around. 

Tonight, though, there was no one fun around. Only Reno and Rude, two of the _biggest_ fuckers she knows, still dressed in suits even though neither of them are on Rufus Shinra's payroll anymore. The two of them pop in about two or three times a week, which Yuffie finds _way_ annoying, because even though they're not their 'enemies' anymore, they're still both total dicks.

But Yuffie is bored, and Tifa is too busy to pay attention to her, and Reno has gotten up to throw darts, so she takes what she can get. 

She hops off her seat and scampers across the bar to the dartboard. 

"Bet ya can't beat me."

Reno rolls his head to look at her, long ponytail flipping over his shoulder as he does. His eyebrow's cocked like he's annoyed, but he's looking past her over her shoulder, eyes squinting. Yuffie almost looks over her shoulder to see what, if anything, he's looking at, but doesn't want to give off the impression that she cares. 

After a moment he shrugs, focuses his gaze on her, and says, "you're on, you little punk."

Yuffie scowls and props both hands on her waist. 

Reno throws three darts quickly, and his score is pretty decent. Above average, really, but Yuffie didn't train in ninjutsu her _entire life_ to lose at darts to some _company man_. She pulls the darts from the board, says _watch this_ and throws a bullseye.

Reno barks out a surprised laugh, saying, "lucky throw."

"Didya forget I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie?"

Yuffie throws two more back to back and raises both hands up cockily and does a little spin with a shit-eating grin plastered wide on her face.

Reno rolls his eyes hard at her, shaking his head and looking up to the ceiling dramatically, as his face splits into a grin anyways. His gaze moves past her again, like he's watching something. She sneaks a peek and notices Rude sitting quietly, nursing a glass.

"Missing your boyfriend?"

"Huh?" Reno's attention snaps back to her, "oh, shut up. New game."

The ex-turk saunters over to collect the darts, his long ponytail tracing his sharp movements as he returns.

Reno holds all three darts out to her, but when she tries to snag them from his hands he lifts them above her head with an _ah, ah_.

"Two steps back. And I tell you which number to hit."

"And if I win?"

"I'll buy you a drink."

"Tifa gives me free drinks."

Reno cocks his head to the side again, pausing to think, "you still obsessed with materia?"

Yuffie can't help herself from grinning. "Maybe."

"You go three for three again and I'll let you take your pick of mine." 

Yuffie plucks the first dart from his hand, "soooo, you're saying... I can take as much as I want?"

"You can pick _one_."

Yuffie pouts. Reno waves his hand in her face in response.  
  
She turns on her heels and takes two dramatically large steps away from the line.

"Cocky, ain't ya?"

"I prefer _confident_."

Reno snorts, "double twenty."

"Easy," she says breezily, drilling the first dart into the thin section at the top of the board. "Next."

"Triple seven," comes Reno's immediate reply.

Yuffie hits a triple seven and flashes Reno her teeth, but for at least the fourth, maybe fifth time, Yuffie catches him glancing in the direction of the bar. And Yuffie, who loves a little bit of drama almost as much as she loves attention, can't help her curiosity anymore and turns around to see whatever it is that keeps catching Reno's attention.

It's a Tuesday, and it's getting late, so the bar isn't really all that busy, which makes it pretty clear that it's _Tifa_ , who's wiping down the bar counter at the opposite end from his partner in crime, that's been drawing Reno's gaze. 

" _Ohhh_ , are you, like, in _love_ with Tifa or something? Jeez, is that why you're here every night? You're _such_ a creep-" 

"Outer bullseye," Reno says quickly, hushing Yuffie as he does. Tifa looks up at Yuffie's totally-loud-on-purpose voice, but seems unfazed by whatever she catches, if anything.

Yuffie raises the final dart to aim, but pauses.

"Y'know, if you're so into Tifa, why are you all the way over here?"

"I'm not into Tifa," Reno says dismissively under his breath, which just makes Yuffie want to speak even louder.

"For a turk, you're not very stealthy, you know? I've caught you-"

"Shut up."

"Whoa!" Yuffie practically shouts. "You've got a total babe and princess like _me_ in front of you and-"

"C'mere," Reno grabs his beer bottle from the nearby ledge and retreats towards a wall as far away from Tifa and the bar as possible. 

Yuffie throws her last dart and hits the bottom rim of the outer bullseye before following the redhead.

"Don't want her to hear? _Man_ , you must really have it-"

"It's Rude."

Yuffie scoffs, "I'm not being rude. If anything, _you're_ the rude one!"

"No, I mean, Rude likes Tifa," Reno's voice is so low that Yuffie has to lean in when he speaks.

"Baldy? Since when?"

"Since, like, forever," Reno leans back in his chair. "Seriously, like, pre-meteor and shit."

"Huh," Yuffie replies, because it's all she can manage to muster.

" _That's_ why I'm over here. Trying to give him space to make a move."

Yuffie tilts her head to glance at the bar. Tifa's making a drink for another patron, and Rude's rigid in his seat, clearly watching her, and even from a distance you can tell he's practically white-knuckling his glass. 

"He doesn't _look_ like he's making a move," Yuffie deadpans with a squint, which prompts Reno to make a face that screams _don't I fucking know it_.

The two of them huddle together like they're having some kind of meeting as they lean against the wall watching the bar almost conspiratorially for a few minutes. Tifa walks over to Rude after collecting a regular's tab and plants her hands on the bar as she asks him something, tilting her head with that soft smile that everyone loves so much.

That smile is what keeps them all checking in on Tifa so frequently, Yuffie thinks. There's something about it that makes your heart ache just a little bit. 

Rude leans in towards her as they talk, and Tifa's smile doesn't fade like it so often does when she's talking to patrons for too long. Tifa's too kind to ever acknowledge that truth, and you can hardly notice the difference if you don't really know Tifa, but Yuffie can tell. She's been paying attention these last few weeks.

"I think she likes him."

"What makes you say that?" Reno asks, eyes narrowing again.

Yuffie hums. "She's talking a _lot_."

"So?"

"Tifa doesn't usually talk that much. You gotta push her to get her going, you know?"

"Huh," Reno tilts his head to the side. "Sounds like someone I know."

Someone waves their hand for the cheque, and Tifa bows her head and tucks her hair behind her ear as she says something to Rude before walking towards the other patron. Both Yuffie and Reno let out audible noises of annoyance, like they're two idiots watching sports. Which they kind of are. 

"This fucking guy can't wait for his cheque?" 

Yuffie slaps Reno's arm, "wait wait _wait_ , did you see that? She did the look back."

"Wait, really?" Reno's attention snaps back to Tifa. For a professional ninja princess and a black ops spy-slash-assassin, they're two very obvious and _very_ loud people. 

Yuffie and Reno exchange pointed looks when Tifa shoots Rude another glance as she makes change.

"We _have_ to set them up."

"Oh, so when you think _I'm_ in love with Tifa, you act like a total bitch, but you find out it's _Rude_ and-"

"Whoaaaaa cowboy, have you always been so sensitive?" Yuffie mocks, "I thought being a turk would give you thicker skin."

Reno rolls his eyes for maybe the ninety millionth time, which Yuffie is starting to enjoy. He crosses his arms.

Yuffie puffs out a breath

"Listen, Tifa's, like, my... my only real female friend, you know? And I'm kind of hers, too, and I think a little romance might be good for her," Yuffie explains like it's a confession, surprised she's admitting any of this out loud, let alone to _Reno_. "And baldy over there seems pretty head-over-heels in the way she really deserves."

"Didn't know you had such a big heart, princess."

"Says the guy spending three nights a week trying to get his best friend laid."

Reno laughs at that, and the sound of it is less biting then it was when they were playing darts.

"Guess you and I are the same boat, then."

Yuffie's face splits wide. " _So_ , does mister tall, dark, and handsome over there know about your little plan?"

"Nah," Reno scrunches his face a little as he says it. "Think he'd get too in his head about it if I said something."

Yuffie hums in response.

" _But_ I don't think he'll make a move while I'm here," Reno explains, "plus he always tries to leave with me if I try and take off early."

"What a lame-ass," she muses. 

"Don't I fuckin' know it," Reno exhales. "Y'know, he was a regular here years ago, before we got, uh, properly acquainted with you fuckers."

"No way!"

Reno just widens his eyes and gives his head a little shake as if, _yeah, fuck, I know_ , in response.

"And he never asked Tifa out?"

"Don't think so. Dating and the, uh, _job_ never... you know, _jived_ well."

Yuffie makes a noise of concealed disgust in response, which triggers Reno to raise up both hands like, _you got me_.

"I mean, you know, _I_ get around," Reno says dryly, smiling when Yuffie laughs, "but Rude's, he's quiet. Known him forever, and... you know. He takes all the romance bullshit serious, I guess."

Yuffie understands all too well. She'd never been one to hold down a partner, even though she enjoyed the chase, but Tifa'd always been a little more... _serious_ , in the way he'd described Rude. After a beat, she softly says, "Tifa's kinda the same."

"Like I said," Reno drawls, pointing back and forth between the two of them, "same boat."

"Alright!" Yuffie claps her hands together as she says it. "Operation Get-Our-Best-Friends-Together is a- _go!_ Step one is getting _you_ outta here, but keeping _him_ in _here_." 

"Easier said then done."

"Oh ho, but _I_ have an idea," Yuffie announces.

"Oh, do you now? What's-"

She cuts him off by kissing him. And not, like, cute-shy-fun kissing. Yuffie loops an arm around his neck and drags his head towards her and practically laps at his face and neck. She hears Reno mutter a _fuck_ and the _clink_ of his beer bottle bump against something as he spills a little. 

For a brief moment, Yuffie thinks that Reno isn't going to go along with her plan, but then he shoves her against the wall in a kind of _mean_ way that's kind of really _hot_ which Yuffie actually _likes_ , a lot, and she knows he got the picture.

Act sloppy drunk, make out, and leave loudly. Nothing sweet about it.

He bites her neck in the midst of their charade, and for Yuffie it's turning into less of an act and more into just kinda _fun_.

"Let's go, princess," Reno practically yells, as he wraps an arm around her and steers her towards the door.

Yuffie looks over her shoulder and catches Tifa with her eyebrows raised practically to her hairline, leaned in over the bar close to Rude, who's half-turned towards her and Reno's direction with a similar expression on his face. Yuffie grins and clutches onto Reno as he drags her out the door.

"Step one complete!" Yuffie shouts after they get onto the street and around the corner, pumping a fist into the air.

"You know, you could've warned me."

"Wouldn't have been as fun," she retorts with a wink.

Reno huffs out a laugh at that.

Yuffie pulls out her PHS and debates internally about whether Reeve or Vincent would be more likely to answer at this hour. The latter is practically a vampire, but she might have a better shot at getting Reeve to actually _respond_ , purely because Vincent isn't very good at using his phone, period.

"Need a ride somewhere, princess?"

"You know I am _actually_ a princess, right?" 

She hears Reno scoff but doesn't look up from her phone even when he asks, "you forget who saved your bitch ass from Corneo?"

Yuffie replies with a sarcastic _ha, ha_ and continues to ignore him. She feels his fingers ghost on her jawline before roughly pulling her face up to look at him.

He tilts his head and she can feel his breath on her as he says, "you should finish what you started."

"I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now," Yuffie taunts as she leans in.

"I don't want to be your boyfriend," he hisses.

"I _am_ looking for a place to crash."

His lips curl and he exhales through his nose in audible amusement. He kisses her.

* * *

_it's only love but_  
_i think i taste blood_

(drink about you/kate nash)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 7R reminded me 1) how much i love rude/tifa and 2) how much i love how much of a mean bitch reno is. seeing them properly characterized and not just for dumb comic relief gags is OK emoji x 3. I didn't actually mean for this to turn heavily into reno/yuffie, but these things happen. they're both lil mfs and i love em. but who knows! maybe yuffie will hook up with multiple people! go crazy!!!!!!!!! there will be much more ruti later i promise. and advent children ISN'T canon but maybe we'll reference dirge just a little bit
> 
> xoxo


	2. don't make me laugh i'll choke

_you say, "we gotta look on the bright side"  
i say, "well maybe if i wanna go blind"_

* * *

"Want one?" Reno asks, adjusting his black boxers and waving a pack of cigarettes at Yuffie as he stalks towards the open window of his apartment.

"Nah," she props herself up on her elbows, legs sprawled on his mattress. "Don't smoke."

"Lucky you," there's a bitterness in his voice as he lights the cigarette.

Yuffie doesn't respond, glancing around the room for something to wear, moving to snag one of the crisp, white button-ups that's hanging on a chair and wraps herself in it. She pads after him, planting her hands on the window ledge and lifting herself up with effort to sit while he leans both elbows out the window. Reno takes a long drag of the cigarette and exhales, giving her a sideways glance as he does. 

She meets his eyes and makes a weird-on-purpose face, eyes rolling and mouth twisting into an awkward smile. He huffs out a short laugh through his nose in response, flicking the ash from his cigarette. 

Yuffie thinks it's a little funny, in a dark kind of way, that she's wearing a piece of a Turk's uniform and nothing else. She lifts her arms, long sleeves extending past her fingers, and shakes them up and down.

"Why do you still wear these things?"

Reno lets out a little _huh_ , that sounds almost like a chuckle, if it wasn't so... bitter.

"Old habits," he offers half-heartedly.

Yuffie wraps his shirt a little tighter around her as she feels the cool breeze of the city at night.

"So," Reno says, in a clear attempt to avoid talking anymore about the Turks, "what about Cloud?"

"What _about_ Cloud?" she returns, with just a little too much attitude.

"Always assumed him and Lockhart were a, _ah_ , thing."

"Nahhhh," she kicks her feet as she replies. "I mean, I used to think that too, but with Cloud... you know, it's just not like that between them."

Reno's looking up at her, eyes narrowed and one brow lifted with the kind of exasperation people usually give her when they've caught her stealing their materia for the third time.

"It's like this," Yuffie splays her hands like she's balancing a scale. "Tifa loves Cloud, and Cloud loves Tifa. But, Tifa and Cloud, they don't wanna..." she claps her hands together and gives him a meaningful look.

Reno makes a face at her that says, _why the fuck not?_

"I know it sounds weird, but I think they just don't wanna... _be_ with each other."

He takes another drag, "Cloud's insane."

Yuffie slaps his arm a little harder then she needs to, and Reno hacks out a mocking laugh as he exhales. She's tempted to get huffy and pout until he tells her she's pretty, but Yuffie thinks he wouldn't rise to that kind of bait. He's a little too mean for that. 

"I don't think Cloud wants to _be_ with... anyone," Yuffie adds after a beat, shifting to look out Reno's window at the neon-lit streets of Edge. 

She feels Reno's gaze stay on her for a moment before he turns towards the city too. Yuffie notices him nod from the corner of her eye. They sit like that for a while, their quiet only broken by the buzzing sound of Reno's phone on the nearby counter. He holds out his cigarette to Yuffie, who shakes her head and is about to repeat that she doesn't smoke when he interrupts her with a shake of his head and, "just hold it, will ya?"

Yuffie catches the name _Rufus Shinra_ printed clear across his phone screen when he picks it up off the counter. She watches as Reno's thumb lingers over the answer button, before quickly silencing it and tossing the phone on the couch.

Reno slinks back towards her. She holds the cigarette, which rests awkwardly between her two fingers, towards him, but pulls it back when he reaches for it, mimicking his _ah, ah_ from when he held the darts above her head earlier in the night.

He smirks at her, expression really softening for the first time since she'd rolled off of him a half an hour ago, and she has to smile back.

"Say _please_ ," she teases. 

He slides a hand over the back of her hand, his nose ghosting against hers as he leans in, and lifts the cigarette out from between her fingers and into his, without saying please _or_ thank you. She's tempted to ask why Rufus Shinra is calling him in the middle of the night, but he speaks before she can breach the subject.

"So, if she's _not_ hung up on spikehead, then why's Tifa still single?"

"No clue," Yuffie huffs. "Lots of guys at the bar flirt with her, and I know she's been on a couple dates before, but..."

"One look at Cloud," he replies, trailing off purposefully with a raise of his eyebrows.

"Or Barret."

Reno barks a short laugh.

"I think she has trouble, you know... explaining it," Yuffie stops short when she realizes she doesn't even know what she means by _it._ It's like she can't say _Sephiroth_ , can't say _Aerith_ , can't even say _Shinra Electric Power Company_ out loud without feeling a kind dread rise up like heat inside her. It's been years now, and she's surprised at how much it still burns.

The tired, almost sad look Reno gives her tells her he knows exactly what she's trying to get at. He knows, maybe a little too well. Yuffie doesn't need to try to put words to how watching Diamond Weapon crawl on shore felt, or how meteor was just too big, too much, or how you can still sense Aerith there with you, every single day. He knows. 

"That's bullshit. Everyone in Midgar went through it," Reno says as he breaks eye contact.

"Everyone _everywhere_ went through it," she snaps back, thinking of her home, the war, and her father.

"Then what's your point, princess?" he asks, almost teasingly, if it wasn't for the bitter edge that had crawled back into his voice.

"It's... different, for us."

"Is it?" he bites, poorly-concealed anger punctuating his tone.

It's less of a question, and more of an accusation, and it surprises Yuffie.

His shoulders roll inward defensively after a beat and his hands tense up as he looks down, eyes drilling into the pavement a few stories below them. Yuffie pulls her leg closest to Reno towards her and adjusts so she's facing him, resting her head on the top of her kneecap and wrapping her arms around her shin. He doesn't move.

"You don't think you count as _us_ ," Yuffie doesn't ask it like a question; it's more of a statement, an assessment. Reno takes another long drag and puts out his cigarette, turning his back to her. 

"Grew a conscience too late to count," he spits, and walks back to bed. 

Yuffie draws her other knee towards her and sits huddled like that for a while, and thinks about what he said. That he thinks he doesn't _count_ surprised her in a weird way, as if the kind of contempt for him and the rest of Shinra she'd held onto for years might have manifested as guilt for him the entire time. 

What really sticks, though, is the little bit of shame in her gut when he asked, _is it?_

Eventually the cold from the window starts to make her shiver a little too hard to stay. Uncurling, she plants her feet on the ground as softly as possible, and slowly makes for Reno's bedroom on the balls of her feet.

She hovers at the entrance to his bedroom, watching him breathe as he lies on his side.

After taking a minute, Yuffie slides his shirt off and crawls onto the bed, pressing her body against his back and wrapping an arm around his middle as tight as she can. 

It takes a minute, but eventually she feels him relax, and his hand presses against the back of hers for just a moment. He's a good head taller then her, so her knees sit on the backs of his thighs, and she smiles imagining what they look like like this.

"Your hands are fucking cold," he mutters.

* * *

_low key, no pressure  
just hang with me and my weather_

(rose-colored boy/paramore)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soft for mean and sad bbs


	3. paper-cut to the heart

_he loves me as i leave  
so i'm gonna go_

* * *

Reno wakes up first.

He'd rolled onto his back during the night, but Yuffie still had an arm slung loosely over his ribs. 

He lies there and watches her sleep, with her short hair is mussed and the sheets are pulled around her in uneven bunches. Reno brushes one of her bangs that had fallen in front of her face and gotten into her mouth out of her face, and as his fingers trace the side of her face, she hacks out a weird little snore that almost makes him laugh. 

Reno slips out from under Yuffie carefully so she doesn't wake, and catches himself smiling when she grabs at his pillow and clutches it to her chest. 

Pulling on a black t-shirt and sweatpants, Reno slips out of his bedroom and into his kitchen, grabbing his discarded PHS from his couch on the way. 

Rufus's missed call from last night gleams on his screen, with a notification that he has _one (1) new voicemail_ listed directly above it. 

He presses the notification and listens to the automated voice of his mailbox read him his playback options and thinks about deleting it without listening to it. 

_Hi, Reno. I'll be in Junon for the next two weeks, for work. It seems like a good test area for the wind turbine patents, and the city has been pleased so far with our progress on the hydro dam._

Rufus continues on, and a kind of dark, empty feeling starts growing in Reno's gut. The way Rufus talks about his plans for reconstruction and renewable energy infrastructure, all of which stem from his mantra about _repaying his debt to the planet_ , makes Reno's skin crawl. He hates that Rufus is updating him so matter-of-factly, like nothing's changed between them, even though they haven't _really_ spoken in over a month. Rufus continues to call, and Reno continues to let it ring.

Rufus pauses after he says _I'll call you when I return_ , and it makes Reno inhale. If it was anyone but Rufus Shinra on the other end, Reno might except to hear something like _I miss you_ or _I still love you_ or _please answer when I do_. 

But it's not someone else on his voicemail. It's Rufus Shinra, and all Reno hears is a _beep_. 

When Reno and Rude handed in their resignation letters, Reno had expected his relationship with Rufus to terminate along his contract with the company, but Rufus had surprised Reno for once by coming directly to his apartment. Rufus had never been inside his apartment a single time before that, and hadn't returned since. 

Rufus treated Reno's resignation like a personal betrayal, had called him a _cynic_ and asked him why he _no longer wanted to be part of the solution_ as if any solution from the Shinra Electric Power Company wasn't tainted by the blood on all their hands. It was the only break-up conversation Reno had ever had that had been wrapped almost entirely in corporate language. 

Reno hears the quiet sounds of Yuffie shifting in his bed, and it makes him a little less agitated.

The sounds of her moving around his room grows louder, and at one point while Reno continues making breakfast he hears an odd _bang_ and Yuffie yelp a _fuck_ , and for the second time without even really trying, she makes him smile. When he'd dragged Rude out last night, the last thing he'd expected was to be taking Yuffie Kisaragi of all people home. 

When he hits Seventh Heaven with Rude, Reno doesn't do so with the intention of picking up anyone, _let alone_ Avalanche's most annoying member. Honestly, he doesn't really have that kind of intention when he walks into _any_ bar these days, though he doubts he'd go anywhere but Tifa's now, even if Rude wasn't still in love with her. Reno used to love wasting his downtime in local bars when he was a Turk, especially when he wason missions outside Midgar. He liked that bars always felt _just_ familiar enough wherever you were, in the way Reno imagines normal people think about _home_. 

Something about messing around with Yuffie in the bar last night had made him the tiniest bit nostalgic for those days, and he thinks that's maybe why he wanted to take her home. 

Reno could've very easily let her dance away to crash with another one of her little Avalanche friends, but instead _he'd_ been the one to escalate their game into something more. She'd kissed him first, but it'd been a performance. He'd surprised himself over and over again last night, from the spark he felt when he pushed her against the wall of Seventh Heaven in front of at least four people who knew him and she'd let out that little _gasp_ , to the way he'd snapped at her when she'd started cloying that holier-than-thou we-saved-the-world bullshit.

He'd felt a kind of raw jealousy when she'd said _it's different for us_ while giving him this look that smacked as much of pity as it did resentment. It hit too close.

Yuffie suddenly emerges from his bedroom almost fully-dressed, and he catches himself before he feels disappointed. 

She shuffles around the room collecting her remaining belongings, before she turns on her heels to look at him, "have you seen my- oh, are you making breakfast?" 

"Your PHS is on the coffee table," he tries to sound as casual as possible about, and betray nothing but neutrality about how clearly she's attempting to leave as fast as possible.

"Oh, uh, thanks..." she looks distracted as she goes for her cellphone. He watches from the corner of his eye as she scrolls and clicks and grins at the screen as she wanders towards his kitchen table and perches herself on it. "You... making enough for me?"

There's some hesitancy in her voice, like she wasn't expecting him to do something like make her breakfast the morning after. He can't really blame her.

"Might be."

" _Wowwwwww_ ," she teases.

He snorts in response, plating her eggs and bacon and one piece of toast in a near un-presentable fashion and all-but-dropping it onto the table in front of her.

"Fork? Knife?"

"That drawer."

"Some gentleman _you_ are," she sticks her tongue out at him as she gets up and pulls open the drawer he pointed at.

"You're lucky you got breakfast," he fires back as he comes close behind her to reaches around and grab his own cutlery.

"Yeah, yeah," she mutters as she elbows him as she goes to sit back down at his small dinner table. " _So,_ Tifa texted me." 

"And?" 

"She mentioned Rude."

"She _did?_ " Reno leans over the table in a poor attempt to see Yuffie's phone.

"Okay, well, she said she got your address from Rude."

"She's not gonna come kick my ass, is she?"

"Huh? Nah, but she could! And so could I," Yuffie does a goofy punching motion with both hands, talking with food in her mouth. "Tifa wants me to go with her to pick up stuff for the bar, so she'll be here in fifteen. By the way, this is pretty good for a Turk."

"Better then you can make," he scoffs.

"But _not_ better then TIfa can make," she points her fork at him with a mischievous look on her face, and he can't keep himself from smirking back at her.

"Did she say anything else about Rude?"

" _No_ , but," Yuffie puts her phone down and claps both hands together. "I have another plan."

"Uh huh, I'm listening."

"Whenever Tifa drags me around downtown on errands, she usually buys me lunch as a thank you, because Tifa is, as you know, the best," Yuffie spreads her palms, and Reno nods knowingly. "And her favourite place to go is this Wutaian hole-in-the-wall, because I, _as you know_ , am the one and only Single White Rose of Wutai, and can speak the language and order all the best food. So-"

"Yeah, yeah, princess, I get the picture," Reno rolls his eyes as he cuts her off. "You tell me the time, and I'll wrangle the Rude."

"Operation Surprise Double Date!" Yuffie pumps both her fists in the air at the same time her PHS buzzes.

Yuffie quickly shoves the remaining food from her plate into her mouth and jumps up, letting her fork clatter on the plate. Reno stands up when he hears a _honk_ from outside his window as Yuffie hops around pulling her sneakers on. 

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she complains out loud to no one at all, huffing under her breath _she's early_ as she shoves her PHS in her shorts pocket. She starts for the door, but stops, wheels around, pops up on her toes, and plants a quick kiss on his lips. She rocks back on her heels, looking a little embarrassed, and darts towards the door, calling _thanks for breakfast!_ over her shoulder.

Reno reaches for his pack of cigarettes and lighter and walks towards his window.

"Hey, Reno," Tifa calls up to him with a wave. 

"Long time no see, barkeep."

"You treat her nice?"

"You know I'm not nice," he calls back as he flicks his lighter.

Even from two stories up, Reno can see Tifa's smile, all warm and genuine and knowing, as always, even when it's for someone like him. 

Yuffie runs out then, arms flailing as Tifa yells back, "yes, you are."

* * *

_ever changing as the sea  
would you love me as i leave?_

(dear californa/vanessa carlton)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i started this intentending it to be full rude/tifa but now i apparently care A LOT about reno/yuffie, and also suddenly reno/rufus as bitter exes. thank u everyone for the nice comments, i love u all!!


	4. all the small things

_always, i know  
you'll be at my show_

* * *

Rude answers after the third ring with, "you're awake?"

Reno loves to hear Rude's voice. He's not a big talker, sure, but he's got this hidden sense of dry humour that you can pick up in his voice the better you know him, and it's what made Reno decide to befriend Rude in the first place.

When they'd met, almost a decade ago now, the guy had looked every bit a Turk should, with the shaved head and the dark glasses and his shirts buttoned to the top with his tie on straight, like a perfect bodyguard. This was in direct contrast to Reno, with the wild, bright hair, the visible face scars, and a complete inability to follow dress code - he was _allergic to buttoning his shirt_ as Tseng had explained to Palmer in one of the more bizarre meetings he'd been dragged into. 

Rude, on the other hand, rarely spoke, always dressed in pristine black from head to toe, and was overall a little more _cut-and-dry_ then Reno, at least in the eyes of the top brass. They trusted Rude to follow orders, which is why he'd been paired with Reno, who was decidedly unpredictable, difficult, and impulsive to a fault. 

Reno hadn't expected to get along with him, especially during the early days, when Reno's methods tended more toward cruelty. He hadn't wanted a by-the-book kind of guy getting in his way of results, but it turned out that Rude wasn't like that at all. When Reno would make snap decisions, that were maybe sometimes _bad_ decisions, Rude would back him up without a word. He'd smirk in an _in-on-the-joke_ kind of way when Reno talked back during debriefings. He'd even surprise Reno by taking his own risks during missions with the same kind of devil-may-care attitude Reno had, he just wasn't as loud about it.

They both got the same kind of sick thrill from the job, but had the same barely concealed disdain for it too. They'd just clicked. 

"You free for lunch?"

"I'll check my schedule."

Reno knows this means yes, so he asks, "good night last night?"

"Not as good as yours."

"Yeah, yeah, I _told_ you I still got it."

Rude just chuckles in response.

"Looked like you and Lockhart were having a, ah, nice time," Reno tries. Usually Rude, for all his brooding silence, is pretty open with Reno. A lot of people think he doesn't like to talk, but it's more that he's a speak-only-when-spoken-to kind of guy. When Rude doesn't respond beyond a grunt, Reno takes a risk and adds, "Yuffie says she likes you."

Rude audibly perks up as he asks, "Tifa said that?"  
  
"Uh, well. Yuffie thinks she likes you."

"She thinks," he repeats, his voice dimming back down to a sarcastic candor.

"Alright, alright," Reno says quickly, "here's the deal. She's getting lunch downtown today Tifa and, uh, suggested we join them." 

"For lunch," Rude deadpans.

"For lunch."

"Us." 

Reno was a liar by trade, but Rude had figured out all his tells years ago, to the point that Reno didn't even try to convince Rude of anything anymore. He couldn't pull a single thing over on his best friend, so Reno resorted to lying by omission and knowing that even though Rude saw right through him, he'dd go along with Reno's half-cocked schemes anyways.

"It'll be fun. It's some Wutaian place, and you love Wutaian food!"

"I do like Wutaian," he concedes with a little bit of of his signature dry humour returning to his voice, which signals to Reno that Rude is in. 

" _And_ you like Lockhart," Reno teases, and can picture Rude's face perfectly as soon as he says it. "And you like _me_ , your best friend, who you aren't gonna punch later. Please."

"We'll see about that." 

"I think you'll like Yuffie, too," Reno tacks on absent-mindedly, and kind of wishes he hadn't. "Anyways. Dress casual. I'll text you the time and place."

Reno hangs up and sends Yuffie a text to confirm that Rude is indeed in for their double date and to send him the address. She responds nearly an hour later with, NICE LOL, followed by DACHAOZ AT 1 OBVI.

After confirming the address on his phone's map, Reno starts shuffling around his apartment trying to figure out what to wear.

They two of them both tended to still dress like off-the-clock Turks more often then not, partially out of habit, but mostly because both of their wardrobes consisted almost entirely of black-ops-appropriate dresswear. They'd both started to branch out a little since quitting a few months ago, and attempted a few shopping excursions to clothing stores. Surprisingly, Rude had actually turned out have a weird knack for the whole fashion thing. 

Last week they'd gone shopping together and Reno had tried on this black turtleneck that he thought he looked really cool in, which was important, because if he was going to start wearing civilian clothes, he still had to look cool in an I-could-kill-you way. Rude had given it a silent nod of approval, so Reno bought three, all of which were _going_ to be black until Rude had convinced him to get different colours. His friend had then picked out a dark blue one said _this would be a good colour on you_ before walking away. Whatever that meant. The third colour, a mustard yellow, Reno had picked out himself and still had not actually worn outside.

When he leaves his apartment hours later, he wears the blue one.

He meets Rude in front of Da-chao's exactly at one, because Turks are always on time, and absolutely never early. 

"Looking sharp, Rude," Reno says appreciatively on sight of Rude's floral patterned button-down shirt. "Is this silk?" 

Rude adjusts his glasses and grins in typical Rude-fashion.

Reno spots Yuffie through the restaurant's front window, who starts waving with her entire arm like there's anyway he could miss her. Tifa turns around with a confused look on her face that quickly dissolves into a warm smile and starts waving them too. 

"Fancy meeting you here!" Yuffie calls across the restaurant as soon as Reno and Rude enter.

"I owe this guy lunch," Reno offers, slapping Rude on the shoulder, "you two mind if we join ya?"

"We were just saying our girl's lunch could use a couple of jerks," Yuffie fires back.

Reno drops into the chair next to her and drapes his arm across the back of Yuffie's chair casually, while Rude sits down beside Tifa gently, like he's trying not to disturb anyone.

"That so?" Rude asks as he takes his sunglasses off and slides them into his breast pocket. 

"Mmmhmmm," Tifa hums back to him, propping her elbow on the table and leans her face into her hand as she looks at Rude. "I've never really seen you without your sunglasses."

Reno watches as Rude clams up for a moment before clearing his throat and saying in a teasing voice, "should I put them back on?"

"No, no," Tifa smiles at him, "I like it."

Reno feels Yuffie kick him hard underneath the table.

A waiter brings four menus to their table and starts greet them with a standard restaurant spiel when he notices Yuffie and switches into Wutaian. The two of them start going back and forth like they're old friends catching up, until eventually their chatter morphs into Yuffie ordering for the table, though they can only really tell because she starts holding up fingers as she talks and the waiter starts scribbling things down.

After he retreats to the kitchen, Reno leans into her and asks, "you know him?"

"Not really," Yuffie chirps, cracking apart her wooden chopsticks.

She'd ordered somewhere between ten to twenty dishes during her quickfire exchange with the waiter, all of which start coming out of the kitchen almost immediately at a consistent pace until a final round of dumplings arrives on their table and the same waiter declares, "last ones!" with a thumbs up. 

Ten minutes or so after the four of them polish off the remaining food, Reno kicks back in his chair with his arms behind his head and asks, "are they gonna bring us a cheque or what?"

"I think we have to go up to pay," Tifa replies, standing up and gesturing for him to do the same. 

"Only _good_ restaurants make you do that," Yuffie confirms with a smarmy little head nod as Reno as Tifa walk towards the counter.

"You know, I meant what I said this morning."

"I'm not a nice guy, Lockhart," Reno drawls as he counts out his gil and cocks his head to one side.

Tifa hums and gazes at him with a soft look that says _I see you, I know you_. It almost makes him uncomfortable, but it's also what makes him so fond of her. He also thinks it's what makes her such a good bartender. "Maybe you're not a _nice_ guy, Reno, but you're a good one."

"Whatever you say, barkeep." 

Reno can't bring himself to meet her eye. Her forgiveness, though she'd never call it that, means more than the official pardon they received for dropping the plate on the Sector 7 slums. He finishes paying and turns on his heels and takes a few steps towards the door, but stops as soon as he hears her voice protest.

"Wait, I still need to..." Tifa's voice trails off. "Did you pay for all of us?"

"Don't mention it," he says quickly, and it comes out a little harder then he intended.

She hums again, and Reno feels his face grow hot. She doesn't have to say _see?_ out loud for him to hear it.

The two of them walk out of the restaurant only to see Rude and Yuffie on the other side the street harassing a flower seller. Well, _Yuffie_ is harassing her while Rude stands there with his wallet out.

"It wasn't a coincidence that we ran into you, right?"

Reno scratches his head.

"You and Yuffie set this up," she continues when he doesn't respond. She looks at him after a beat, small smile on her face and eyes bright.

"She tell you?"

"No, but I always know when she's up to something."

"You know, Rude's a good guy," Reno brings up in an awkward attempt to change the subject that comes out wait too obvious.

"He's sweet, huh?" she murmurs, turning her gaze towards the other side of the street.

"He really likes you," Reno blurts out without really thinking. 

"I know," Tifa says in a tender voice, and tilts her head before she continues, "you know, Yuffie really likes _you_."

 _This_ takes Reno by surprise, but Yuffie comes skipping across the road towards them with a flower tucked behind her ear and a single white rose in her hands before he can even begin to process a response. Rude trails behind her with a small bouquet in his hands.

"I got you somethiiiiing!" Yuffie calls in a sing-song voice as she nearly crashes into Reno.

"Thanks, punk," he laughs as she grins up at him with a goofy kind of pride, and it hits him right in the heart. 

"Thank you, Rude. I love them," Tifa's voice draws both Reno and Yuffie's attention as they look up to see her beaming at Rude, flowers clutched to her chest.

Reno's jaw nearly hits the floor when Tifa places a hand on Rude's shoulder and leans up to kiss him on the cheek gently. Yuffie smacks the back of her hand against Reno's chest and gives him a look like, _are you seeing this?_ while not-so-discretely pointing at Rude's hand brushing against Tifa's hip as she draws back.

"Well, I have to get back to the bar, but will you two come by tonight?" Tifa asks as she turns away from Rude, whose face is summon-materia-red. She's flushed, but she's also the most composed of the four of them, though she almost stumbles over a few of her words. "I think I owe all of you a few drinks, so you better."

Rude adjusts his sunglasses and nods.

Tifa doesn't wait for Reno to confirm and grabs for Yuffie's hand and starts dragging her to their truck. Yuffie runs along willingly, wrapping her arm around Tifa's waist as Tifa slings her elbow around Yuffie's neck in a friendly headlock. The two men watch, both a little dumbstruck as they lope away. Reno puts the rose up to his nose when Yuffie throws a look over her shoulder, saying something to Tifa.

"You got some _moves_ , partner!" Reno exclaims, clapping his friend on the back as they turn turn to walk down the street.

"Style counts." 

* * *

_she left me roses by the stairs  
surprises let me know she cares_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> where is final fantasy world theme park where i can have da chaoz dim sum and be sensitive


	5. smitten's a bad look on me

_i hope that you don't think i'm rude_  
_but i wanna make out with you_

* * *

Yuffie sits perched on a bar stool watching Tifa as she organizes the new stock they'd bought before lunch. Yuffie had helped with the heavy lifting, obviously, but there was _no_ way she was gonna help... organize, or whatever Tifa calls what she's was doing.

If anyone asks, Yuffie would say it's because she doesn't wanna get in Tifa's way, but secretly it's because on the few occasions Yuffie _did_ try to help, she not only got in the way but also _maybe_ broke a bottle, or three, and misplaced a receipt that Tifa had definitely needed for tax purposes. 

As Tifa flits back and forth, she keeps stealing glances at the flowers Rude gave her, which she now has on display behind the bar in a kind of make-shift vase that's really just an old whiskey bottle. Yuffie tries to keep the smug smile off her face as she watches Tifa, but she doesn't really succeed, mostly because she didn't really try too hard in the first place. Tifa's too distracted to notice anyways.

" _So_ ," Yuffie chirps as she slaps both of her hands on the table, "let's say, _hypothetically_ , if Rude wanted toooooo say... spend the night..."

Tifa snaps a bar towel at her playfully as she cries _Yuffie!_ like she's scolding her, but the coy smile on her face says enough. 

"You _totally_ wanna let him throw you against a wall," Yuffie teases.

Tifa turns a shade of pink, but retorts, "maybe I'll throw _him_ against a wall."

Yuffie's eyes light up as she lets out an over-dramatic gasp and they both burst into a fit of giggles. 

"I didn't know you were into that sort of stuff, Teef," she teases, grinning as she watches Tifa's face go from pink to red. Yuffie finds it so endearing how much of a good girl Tifa kind of is underneath the whole sexy badass bartender black belt thing. For a girl who would kill you with a roundhouse kick, she blushes a little too easily. "You gonna fist fight him?"

"You mean like... spar with him?"

"Uh _huh_ , that's what I said. You should tell him to meet you at your gym and then take him to _town_ ," Yuffie throws a bunch of fake punches as she natters at her friend, "and _then_ once you're both all sweaty and gross and whatever, you can let _him_ take _you_ to town, if you know what I'm saying."

"He is probably the only person who can take me," Tifa says in a thoughtful voice after a beat, making Yuffie bark another surprised laugh. 

"Take you to _town_ ," Yuffie mimes an uppercut wtih a grin as she says it, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Rude's a very talented martial artist, Yuffie," Tifa replies matter-of-factly.

"So? I've fought him, and I'd rather do that like ten more times then face you. I saw you kick Sephiroth in the head."

Tifa flips her hair over her shoulder in a preening sort of way and giggles softly, "maybe I'll go easy on him."

"Ohhh, what would Zangan say if he could hear ya?" Yuffie lowers her voice a few octaves before attempting a very poor impression of what she imagines a guy like Zangan would sound like. "My finest student, losing on purpose just so she can get laid?"

"I didn't say I'd _lose_."

Yuffie laughs even harder at that, while Tifa turns away with a smile to put the last few bottles on the shelf. Seeing Tifa like this, all flushed and giddy, makes Yuffie feel more full then the past years she spent in Wutai ever did, and it makes her stomach twist. It's not that she doesn't love Wutai, or being in Wutai, or her father, it's more that being there doesn't make her feel... _this_. All the materia she collects, it's like it does nothing. It's like a band-aid on all Wutai's problems that never really changes anything. 

When she'd met Cloud all those years ago she'd wedged herself into their group all while insisting for days and weeks and months that she was only ever in it for the materia, but they could all see through her paper-thin pretense. Being with them had made Yuffie feel her feel more like herself, in a strange way, and made her feel like she was actually _doing_ something.

Now the world was saved, mostly, at least for the near future, even if not so much for the real future, she'd started to lose that feeling again, and she hadn't been able to get it back when she'd gone home. Guilt swells in the chest, and she wishes that her home could feel the way Seventh Heaven feels. 

If she can't help Wutai, at least she can help her friends. 

Tifa brushes her hands on her skirt and exhales audibly before crossing her arms and leans on the bar into Yuffie, who props her elbows up on the bar and drops her face into her hands. 

"So, what about you and Reno?"

"What about us? We're just hanging out." 

It comes out a little too fast, and it's Yuffie's turn to turn red. Tifa hums in response with that all-knowing smile plastered on her face.

"Reno said Rude's had a crush on you for, like, years, by the way," Yuffie pipes up in an obvious bid to change the subject before it goes anywhere.

"Did Reno tell you that last night?" Tifa asks, tilting her head to the side. She's too smart to take the bait completely.

"Do you wanna hear about Rude's big fat crush on you or not? There's only, like, half an hour before open and I got a _lot_ of juicy deets."

Tifa pulls her tongue over her bottom lip and bites it. After a beat of trying her very hardest to not crack, Tifa finally gives in and sighs, "spill."

Yuffie recounts back what Reno told her last night, though parts of it are just a _teeny_ bit exaggerated, as Tifa peppers her with questions, half of which relate back to Reno. Tifa's too smart sometimes. There's a sharp rap at the door that finally breaks the two of them out of their little huddle.

"Oh, it's six! Can you unlock the door for me?" 

Yuffie shoots finger guns at Tifa in response as she hops off the stool and scurries over to flip the power switch on the open sign before unlocking the door. Yuffie usually unlocks the bar for Tifa at open if she's around, so often now that it's started to become a bit of a ritual for her. It makes her feel like she's part of Seventh Heaven too. 

"Evening, princess," Reno drawls the moment Yuffie pulls the door open, and it makes her heart jump, just a little.

"You two are never this early."

"You want us to come back later?" Reno bites sarcastically as he presses his hand on the door frame, shoulders curling in as he leans towards her. 

Yuffie beams up at him. "I never said that."

Rude slides past the two of them so deftly that Yuffie almost doesn't notice at first.

"You gonna let me in too?"

"Not until you pay cover."

"You didn't make big guy over there pay cover," Reno gestures towards the bar where Rude has already taken a seat directly in front of Tifa.

"He's good for it," Yuffie says with a wink. "He'll pay Tifa later."

An amused smile crawls on Reno's face as his eyebrows raise up dramatically, like he's feigning shock at what she's implying. His smile curls into something a little darker as he leans in and draws his fingers underneath her chin. For a second she thinks he's going to kiss her roughly, the way he did outside the bar, but his lips brush against hers in a manner that's actually annoyingly gentle. It doesn't feel like him. 

Reno pulls back quickly and flashes her his teeth and asks, "that enough for entry, boss?"

"I think you owe a little more, actually," Yuffie pouts, and wishes she'd bit his lip when she had the chance. 

"Your prices are steep," Reno teases, and his eyes flick towards her mouth for a split second before drifting over her head. She's almost surprised at how badly she wants him to treat her the way he did last night. The hesitation, the awkwardness, the whatever-this-is would be sweet coming from anyone else, but coming from him it almost feels like rejection. Before she can say or do anything else, though, another voice interrupts them from outside the bar.

"No refunds."

Cloud Strife is looking at Yuffie like how she imagines a protective older brother would, if she had one. Though if Cloud really was her brother, she doubts he'd look so amused by the whole thing. 

_i just want a kiss to get me through_  
_cause now all my bedsheets smell like you_  
(bad ideas/tessa violet)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one's a shortie... next one im thinking...tifa pov?


	6. i'm not used to liking that

_i've never felt this healthy before  
i've never wanted something rational _

* * *

Having Yuffie around was like a breath of fresh air for Tifa. It isn't that she doesn't love shooting the shit with Cid when he was in town, or helping Barret help Marlene with her homework, or any of the other countless little things she does with her Avalanche family. She loves when Vincent comes to help around the Seventh Heaven as much as when Yuffie does, but Vincent isn't _quite_ as good at doing things like gossiping about boys. 

Of course, there's more to it then that, but it hurts to think too hard about it. 

Tifa fingers the red ribbon on her arm as she listens to Yuffie natter _Reno said that, like, he would get so nervous around you that it was probably why we always wrecked ‘em so bad_. She highly doubts Reno had said any of this, or ever would say any of this, but it makes Tifa smile anyways. 

After Yuffie bounds away to unlock the bar, Tifa hears Reno before she sees him, and knowing that means Rude is ten feet away from her makes her stomach do a tiny flip. 

She inhales before turning around, and makes sure she does so in a way that's cute, that's flirty, that makes her hair flip in that coy kind of way, and when she does she sees Rude walking straight towards her with a small smile plastered on his face that she can’t help but return.

She likes how sweet he is, how awkward he is. It's almost contradictory to the rest of his Turk persona. 

After years of guys who couldn't handle her, who she always had to reassure, who she could never just be _herself_ around, someone like Rude is strangely… right . He knows who she is, and he knows what she's done, he doesn’t need her to explain anything. Before Meteorfall she doesn't know if she ever could have made it work with a man with Rude's resume. Part of her is still a little tentative, or maybe a little resentful, which is why it had taken two very annoying people's meddling to make her really consider Rude in a _real_ way.

Dating a turk is something the old Tifa would have balked at. She wonders how her younger self would react if she knew she would eventually find herself having lunch with the men who dropped the sector seven plate on her home. But the anger she used to feel, the rage that used to burn in her gut and make her sick, isn't there when she looks at Reno and Rude anymore. The world they used to live in was not the kind of world where people like them could meet and fall in love and have it be _simple_ or _normal_ , but the world is different now.

 _She's_ different now, and so is he. 

The world might be unforgiving, but she decided that's not what she has to be. It wasn't worth it, to drown in anger.

Rude sits down smoothly on the bar stool and leans in towards her, forearms resting on the bar, hands folded. 

"Come here often?"

"Not often enough.".

Tifa opens her mouth to respond, but Rude takes off his glasses at the same moment she does, and her words catch in the back of her throat. 

She feels her face redden but she still recovers, asking, "you want your usual?"

"Please." Rude's voice is warm, like honey, and his eyes are glued to her. 

Tifa turns to fix him an old fashioned, grateful for the distraction. She's not sure why she's suddenly so physically nervous around him, considering she would flirt with him any time he was in the bar, on nights just like this one. Maybe it's because whatever's between them has become more tangible, and that scares her. 

Before she can finish making Rude's drink, Tifa looks up when Yuffie starts shouting something, to see Cloud pushing Reno to the side, walking directly towards her. 

He hadn’t called to let her know he was coming back into the city, but then again, he was never very good at doing that kind of thing. 

Tifa rushes from behind the bar to greet him, pulling Cloud into a quick hug as she chastises him about being worse then Vincent at using his PHS. Yuffie had initially bounced her way to the bar with Cloud and Tifa, but had since slipped away quietly with Reno to take up residence in one of the corner tables, huddled together like criminals planning their next heist.

“Brought a gift to make up for it,” Cloud tilts his head as he lifts up a bottle of Rocket Town’s finest whiskey, eliciting a surprised gasp from Tifa. 

“How’s Cid?” she asks, snatching the bottle from his hand with a grin.

“Same as ever. Helped him with a couple deliveries, said to make sure you got this in one piece.”

Tifa grins. Cid always brings her whiskey from the little distillery in Rocket Town when he comes to visit, at first because it was _his_ favourite, but now because it’s become hers.

“You’ll love this,” Tifa chirps in Rude’s direction, as she cracks open the bottle and starts to make him his usual old fashioned while Cloud joins her behind the bar. “Rocket Town makes the best whiskey.” 

It’s not until she places the drink in front of him that she realizes he’s tensed up since Cloud walked in, and it makes her stomach drop. He takes a sip of the drink and nods as he compliments it, but he doesn’t meet her gaze. 

She’s never known how to explain Cloud to potential suitors. She could try telling Rude that Cloud is like her Reno, maybe. Her best friend in that way that’s a little more than the average friendship. She hopes he’ll understand.

As patrons shuffle into the bar and Tifa busies herself with her typical routine behind the bar, her anxiety about Rude builds higher and higher. Cloud is helping behind the bar, which _isn’t_ helping her current situation with Rude, as she starts overthinking every interaction she has with either man.

Rude stays planted in his usual spot, accepting a second drink with a quiet _thank you_ when she presents it to him.

“Hey, by the way, since Yuffie’s in town, I can take the couch tonight,” Cloud pipes up out of nowhere after their peak is over, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. Tifa shoots him a puzzled look, since Cloud’s never offered to give up his bed for Yuffie before, but before she can put together a response he adds on, “would you mind setting up the pull out? I can handle the bar.”

Tifa’s still confused, but Cloud is giving her a look that says, _come on now_.

“Rude, would you mind helping her?” Cloud nods at Rude as he says it, “since Yuffie seems a little… preoccupied." 

Yuffie was currently lounging on Reno's lap, and even if any of them were willing to break the two of them apart, Yuffie was far too plastered to be of any use.

It seems like a small thing, what Cloud is doing, but it leaves her speechless. He's never been very good with people, in general, though he tries hard to be. That he recognized what was going on between her and Rude and proceeded, in his own weird way, to _wingman_ her, of all things, is Cloud saying _I'm happy for you, I support you, it’s okay_.

It was far from the reaction she was expecting, considering Rude is an ex-Turk, and Cloud and Tifa will be Avalanche until they die, but maybe his anger has softened in the same way hers has. She wonders what Aerith would say if she could see them. 

Rude nods back at Cloud and they both offer the other a flat, awkward smile, and she almost laughs at how similar the two of them are.

Tifa makes her way to the back, and Rude gets up quietly to follow her up the staircase that leads to the two bedroom apartment above Seventh Heaven she shares with Cloud, though Cloud is around far less than Tifa, leaving Yuffie to lay claim to it whenever she’s in town. 

She shuts the door behind him and wanders into their little home, and Rude continues to follow only steps behind her obediently. Tifa takes a deep breath and turns to face him and says, “there’s no pullout couch.” 

It takes a moment for the pieces to click in place for Rude, but after a beat he huffs out a laugh through his nose and looks at her in that warm, open, shameless way he had been before Cloud came home. He very deliberately checks her out, gaze dragging up her legs up until he meets her eyes, and her breath catches again. 

He starts to walk towards her at an almost agonizingly slow pace, muttering “never thought I’d be thanking Cloud Strife for anything” under his breath. He stops just in front of her, a little too close to be natural, but not so close that they’re touching.

Tifa rocks back and forth on her heels once, releasing her hands from behind her back when he leans his head in. She can feel his breath on her, but he doesn’t close the now tiny gap between them, his eyes searching her face, though for what she has no idea.

After a long moments of staring back into his eyes, she plants her hands on his shoulders closes the distance between them and presses her lips against his sweetly, but only for a brief moment

"It's… been a while," she exhales, hoping her nervousness doesn’t show too plainly on her face, her hands sliding down his shoulders to his chest.

Rude pushes her hair behind her ear with one hand and rests it tenderly on the back of her neck, while his other hand lifts one of hers off his chest. He presses her palm to his lips and murmurs, "for me, too."

He releases her hand gently, letting it hover over hers as she traces her fingers over his lips, pressing them against his bottom lip after a moment and his mouth opens compliantly under the pressure. Tifa feels the edges of his teeth as he sucks gently on her fintertips, eyes never leaving hers as he does, and all her nervousness starts to melt away.

She slides her fingers out of his mouth slowly so she can kiss him on her tiptoes, arms wrapping around his neck tightly. His hands hook around her thighs and she nearly jumps, helping him to lift her up so she can cling to him like a spider. 

Tifa breaks their heated kiss for only a moment to direct Rude towards her bedroom, both of them laughing as he staggers towards the door.

Rude lays her down gently on the bed like she’s some kind of precious thing, and it nearly breaks her heart. His knees rest on either side of her hips, and his hands are running up her abdomen. For a man with a long history of career violence, the care he takes with her, from the flowers to the way he kisses back, is so unexpectedly intimate that she can hardly stand it. 

He bends toward her to kiss her shoulders, her neck, her jaw, and she is so very content.

Tifa pushes on his chest with both hands and says, “take it off.”

Rude raises an eyebrow, still straddling her as she lies comfortably underneath him, arms laid out casually above her head as she leers at him.

He sheds his jacket and lets out a laugh that sounds more like a growl when she bites her lip in response. Rude starts slowly unbuttoning his shirt and she just watches, as much as she wants to flip him over and tear his clothes off herself, she’s enjoying the show. 

Tifa runs her hands over his abs as soon as his shirt is on the floor, smiling at the _clinking_ sound of Rude undoing his belt buckle. He leans over her again, the chain around his neck dangling over her, and his fingers lacing with hers above her head as he kisses her. She likes the feeling of having his body pressed against her likes this, but she can’t help herself from hooking one of her legs around him and flipping him roughly so she’s on top.

“Zangan’s finest,” he mutters with a grin, his big hands wrapping around her stomach and he smiles up at her appreciatively. The way he says it, _Zangan’s finest_ , makes her feel like her skill, her strength, her power, are something beautiful. She rolls her hips against his and pushes him hard into the mattress when he tries to sit up and reach for her shirt, and he groans, and she loves that she doesn’t have to worry about scaring him, or intimidating him, or _breaking_ him. 

For the first time in a long time, Tifa feels like herself.

* * *

_you've already won me over_   
_in spite of me_

(head over feet/alanis morissette)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love final fantasy 7


	7. that fresh feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ummm this one got a lil spicy so i upped the rating lol.........................xoxo thank u everyone reading! i appreciate all of u so much

_you don't have a clue_   
_what it's like to be next to you_

* * *

The first time Tifa wakes up that morning, it's still dark out, and she's lying on her front with the covers pushed around her hips. She can feel Rude dragging his fingers up and down her spine, so she turns her head to look at him. He's staring at her, propped up on one arm. When he meets her eyes, his hands comes to her neck and brushes her long black hair to the side, rubbing his thumb at the sensitive spot under her ear. 

She lets out a soft moan and smiles to let him know she doesn't want him to stop. He lets out a low chuckle and his hand drifts with purpose back down her spine until he cups her ass and squeezes. Tifa wiggles her hips in response, letting out another little moan at the pressure. She feels Rude's weight shift beside her as he lifts himself up a little more, leaning over her and planting a kiss on her shoulder as his hand moves between her legs.

Tifa lifts her hips for him, legs spreading for his fingers as he rubs at her entrance. Rude doesn't take the invitation to push in further until she lets out a whimper, at which point he pulls his hand back, making her whimper louder.

"Roll over," he breathes in her ear, voice husky.

"Say please," she snaps back with a giggle, looking at him coyly over her shoulder, catching his look of surprise that quickly fades into amusement.

"Roll over," Rude repeats, without saying please, as his fingers come back to tease her, just barely touching her skin.

Tifa lets out a frustrated whine but complies and flips herself over for him, suddenly aware the both of them had fallen asleep completely naked. 

Rude smiles down at her as he slides two fingers into her easily, thumb pressing down on her clit and starting to slowly, methodically rub in circles. She gasps out loud and hooks a hand around his neck as he stares at her like he's trying to memorize every expression, every movement, ever sound she makes.

After a few moments of his methodical touch, Rude pulls back again, and she lets out another whine at the loss of contact.

Rude gets up on his knees and shuffles to the end of the bed, adjusting his position so he's between her legs, hooking them over his shoulders and dragging her towards the end as he slides to the floor. He starts kissing her knees, still taking just as much time as before, and when he reaches her thighs she settles down, impatience melting away and she lets out a pleased sigh.

The second time Tifa wakes up is hours later when the sun starts beaming in through her window, warming her skin. She stretches like a cat, listening to the steady sound of Rude breathing beside her, and she has no idea what time it is, but she can hear Cloud in the kitchen, so she gets up. 

Tifa pulls on an old t-shirt and shorts and slides out of her bedroom, pausing for just a quick moment as she shuts her door to take another quick peek at Rude's body.

"Morning," Cloud greets her as she pads into their small kitchen. "Tea?"

Tifa pushes her hair behind her ears and looks at their kind of worn-out kettle that they aren't willing to replace because it looks like a fat chocobo. "Cid send tea home with you too?"

Cloud breathes out a chuckle and nods as he pulls down two mugs from their cabinet, "you know how Shera is."

Cid and Shera had quietly gotten married a year after Meteorfall, in front of a guest list that consisted almost entirely of Avalanche, and since had settled into a shockingly domestic life in Rocket Town. Both of them had taken to doing work for the WRO at the behest of Reeve, but had also gotten very into doing things like gardening. At first, it had been just Shera's hobby, but eventually it became _their_ hobby, and now any time they got visitors, Cid would waste no time in dragging them out back to show off whatever vegetable he was currently focused on cultivating. 

It wasn't just the garden, either. Cid had gotten into hobbies like high quality whiskey and fine red wine, which Tifa thought was sweet, if a little funny, considering the quality of alcohol he drank back in the day. Whenever he was in town he'd make time to chew her ear off about the bar, and listen with a keen reverence when she'd talk any kind of shop to him. He was one of the only people really interested in all the minute details of running a bar, so she really loved talking to him about Seventh Heaven. 

Shera had, in a similar way to Cid, gotten into tea. Tifa also found this kind of funny, mostly because of her first encounters with both Cid and Shera. Their kitchen was stacked with tins of different kinds of blends, and she always had the perfect one for every situation.

"This one's made with cactuar cuttings. Good for anxiety," Cloud says with a small smile, eyes flicking to Tifa as he fills the two mugs carefully. Of course she'd given him something for anxiety, and probably without him even mentioning it. Shera is so kind, and so earnest in how she dotes on everyone, that it makes Tifa's heart ache.

Cloud places the two mugs on the island counter between them and pushes them both towards her, making her pause and stare at the two mugs, a knot twisting in her belly. When she looks back up at Cloud, he has a third mug in his hand, leaning on the counter with his other and giving Tifa the same look he gave her last night.

"Cloud..."

"Don't know how he takes it, but Shera said to drink it black, so it doesn't really matter." Tifa starts to thank him, but Cloud cuts her off before she can get any words out. "Don't mention it."

There's a long moment of silence between them.

"You're still full of surprises, you know."

"Is that a bad thing?" Cloud asks it in his gentle, teasing way, that often comes across poorly to strangers.

"It's just not the reaction I thought you'd have."

"To what, exactly?"

Tifa puffs out an annoyed breath at Cloud, who doesn't flinch, wearing his barely-there smile that expresses as much coming from him as the toothy grins Yuffie flashes does. 

"Not worth it to hold grudges these days," he says, caving under her gaze easily when she doesn't speak, because he always caves when it comes to Tifa. He'd always caved for Aerith, too. "Though you _might_ have to worry about Barret."

Tifa lets out a laugh, imagining Barret grilling Rude over dinner.

"Besides, I'm ex-Shinra. I'd be a hypocrite to..." Cloud's voice trails off as his eyes drift past her. 

Tifa looks over her shoulder, finding her heart in her throat when she sees Rude standing, shirtless and in boxers, in her door frame like a deer caught in the headlights. She almost giggles when he awkwardly stumbles back into her room. 

Tifa picks up the two mugs sitting between her and Cloud on the counter and says, "still, thank you."

"It's just tea."

"For last night."

Cloud rubs the back of his neck and looks down in an attempt to hide his expression, and Tifa feels the knot in her stomach tighten. She starts to walk towards her bedroom when she hears him say her name softly, and she turns back.

"It's okay to want more," he says quietly, and she knows when he says more what he's not saying is, _it's okay to want more then me_. She knows Cloud would be happy spending the rest of his life living in this apartment with her and never needing for their relationship to ever develop further. She doesn't think after Zack, and Aerith, and in a strange way after Tifa, all those years ago, that Cloud wants anything _more_ , as he says.

But she wants _more_. And she had never really expected it from Cloud, but there's still _something_ between them that's hard to really place a finger on, so this olive branch he's extended all by himself means the world to her.

Tifa nods at Cloud and stops herself from saying _I know_ before retreating to her room, where she finds Rude with buttoning up his shirt. 

His shoulders look tense, so she sets the two mugs down on her bedside table and crawls onto the bed behind him, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and pressing the flats of her thighs against his back. He stops buttoning his shirt when she nibbles his earlobe.

"Cloud made us tea," she offers in a quiet voice, not really sure how to break the ice on the topic of Cloud Strife, especially considering Rude's obvious discomfort around him. It doesn't quite surprise her, even considering last night, and she tells herself that Rude won't be like other guys. 

"Does it bother you that I was a turk?" he asks in an even tone, though the stilted way the words come out gives him away.

Tifa pauses before she answers, resting her head on his shoulder as she idly traces patterns on his back. Rude seems to take her silence as a _yes_ , and stands up abruptly and hastily continues getting dressed, surprising Tifa. His question itself surprised her too; she'd thought his discomfort had been primarily about Cloud, but it was more about who he was _to_ Cloud, and even moreso to _her_. He must have heard Cloud say _besides, I'm ex-Shinra..._ and made assumptions about the rest of their conversation.  
  
"Hey," Tifa says firmly as she slides off the bed to stand. He stops getting dressed but doesn't turn to look at her. "Look at me."

Rude obeys after a beat, and the look on his face makes her heart break for him again. 

"I'd rather know now."

"I won't lie and say I haven't thought about it," she says, taking a step towards him. "It would have bothered me a few years ago, and maybe it should still bother me now."

Rude is frozen, jaw clenched. He almost looks like he's in physical pain. She closes the distance between them and, with a little more aggression then she maybe intended, pushes him hard against her door. 

Tifa presses herself against him, drawing herself up on her tip-toes as she says her next words as gently as she can, "but it doesn't."

He looks down at her, visibly confused, and she attempts wipes the look off his face by kissing him.

When she breaks away from him, she starts unbuttoning his only half-done-up shirt and smiles at him. She'd knew, inevitably, they would talk about Shinra, and Midgar, and the plate, but right now it's barely passed ten in the morning, and all she really wants is to lie in bed with him.

"Take this off," she tugs hard on his now completely unbuttoned shirt, "and come drink this before it gets cold."

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

_old paint is peeling_   
_this is that fresh feeling_

(fresh feeling/eels)


	8. just like honey

It's nearly four o'clock when Rude finally leaves Tifa's apartment. Cloud had made himself scarce in the hours since their first encounter early in the morning, thankfully, as Tifa is currently walking him out of Seventh Heaven in just a t-shirt and he really loves seeing her like this, freshly awake and disheveled in a way that makes his throat dry.

When he turns around to kiss her goodbye, she is gazing up at him so warmly that is almost makes him choke.

This is everything he wanted, and he can't shake the feeling in his gut that's saying _you doesn't deserve this_.

"When can I see you again?" he tries to ask as evenly as possible. 

"I don't have a day off until Sunday, but..." Tifa stretches her arms up over her head and Rude feels his face flush. "You... should come by the bar tonight."

As she says it she rocks back on her heels, using both hands to tuck her hair behind her both ears as she glances down, almost shyly. Rude can't help but stare at her, taking diligent note of the tiny dimples that appear when she presses her lips together in a line like that, the subtle movement of the muscles in her arms when she lets them fall to her sides, the soft expanse of her upper thighs at the hem of her shirt.

He wants to walk back into the bar, hook his hands under her thighs, lift her onto the bar, and kiss her while his hands slide easily under her shirt. He wants to hear her moan softly when he does it, he wants to notice when she spreads her legs slightly for him so he can press closer to her and feel her wrap herself around him. He doesn't, though. 

"I'll be here," Rude says quickly, focus snapping back as he realizes he's just been staring at her and fantasizing, remembering that he has to use _words_ to respond. She laughs softly, and it almost makes him self conscience. 

Rude, underneath his cool, aloof air, was not very cool or aloof.

He knew how he looked, how he sounded, and he knew how to use those things to present himself in a way the Shinra Electric Power Company had found more then useful for years. A man like Rude, stoic and intense and clean-cut in a way that let him fade into the background while striking an intimidating figure at the same time, was exactly what Shinra wanted in a Turk. 

But his term of employment as a Turk had ended, and he wasn't really sure how to behave like a normal person now. 

There were very few people Rude felt could see past his hardened shell. If Rude had to make an actual list, Reno would be at the top of it. Rude trusted him, and knew Reno felt the same. They were two very difficult people separately, and in very different ways, but that was oddly why they'd worked together so well - on the surface they were polar opposites, quiet and loud, sturdy and lean, lightning and thunder. Their differences complemented each other, made up for what the other lacked. Where Reno was rash, Rude was methodical. Where Rude hesitated, Reno leapt forward. 

It was almost like they were two parts of a whole, two sides of one coin, two heads of the same monster. 

Aerith used to be second on his list, and he still counted her, even though she was gone. She'd always been able to see through him. She'd always seen through all of them, looked at them like they were people instead of parts of a machine.

He could still remember the day he met her vividly. She'd made fun of his glasses and needled him with nicknames like 'tall, dark, and grumpy' and 'egghead' until Tseng had told her to lay off, which only led to her wheeling around and doing an impression of him that was so spot on Rude hadn't been able to stop himself from laughing. This had earned Rude a grin, so bright and mischievous that Rude had smiled back, though he knew his was much dimmer then hers, and from then on it was like they had shared a secret. She'd been the same way with Reno, and the two of them had developed a relationship with her that was almost like they were her older brothers. 

It was comical, really. A flower girl, in a pink dress and clunky boots, laughing at a bunch career killers like they were idiots.

But Aerith hadn't seen them like that. She hadn't seen them the way most people did. Most people's voices would fall to a hush if they realized there were Turks around, would steal glances at them like just looking at them was dangerous. Aerith had just seen Reno and Rude and their fickle boss Tseng, and made a habit of causing trouble for them. 

Rude had wanted, so badly, for Tifa to see him as _him_ in the same way. To see him and not just a husk piloted by Shinra. 

The first time they fought, years ago, Rude had felt like his heart was in his throat the entire time. Based on the little he knew about her from the time he'd spent patronizing her bar, he was well aware she'd practiced martial arts. What he hadn't known was that she was _a near expert at Zangan-Ryu_ , which he learned when she delivered a combo that knocked Reno flat on his back and struck Rude so dumb that he's sure that's the moment he fell in love with her. He couldn't bring himself to throw any real punches at her, and during that first encounter when she closed in on him, all he could do was parry her attacks. 

Their encounter had transformed into more of a spar then anything else, and she'd retreated with a confused look on her face when Cloud caught him off guard and laid him out beside Reno, her eyes lingering on him. For the longest time, it was that look Rude had had plastered inside his brain whenever he thought about her. 

That look, and the one she'd given him when she'd watched him drop the plate on sector seven. 

It had broken his heart, just as he knew he was breaking hers.

It was the first time Rude had regretted something he'd done on the clock. Before that, he was able to separate himself from all the violence, all the needless cruelty. He'd lacked a sense of personal responsibility, had always been able to justify his actions by not claiming them as his own. It was Shinra killing the planet, Shinra murdering civillians, Shinra comitting genocide.

Until it wasn't. 

Even now, the things they've done flood his thoughts, to the point he feels like sooner or later he'll choke on them and drown. 

Then Tifa reaches up one hand and runs her fingers along his jawline, and his mind is clear again. He wishes he could express to her just how beautiful she is, how warm and radiant. He wants to tell her that she lights up every room she walks into, knowing exactly how she'll laugh in response. He wants to tell her that he could spend hours going down on her, how he loved feeling the pressure of her strong thighs on his head when he found just the right spot. Most of all, Rude wants to tell her he loves her, and watch as she lets out that same gentle laugh, open-hearted and accepting, beaming up at him. Maybe she'd kiss him or hold him close, but he doesn't think she'd say it back.

"I'll see you soon?"

She asks it, but it's not really a question. He takes her hand that's brushed up against his face in his and presses his lips to her palm, a repeated action, like it's a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ummmmmmmm this is short but hiiiiiii
> 
> back to yuffie next


End file.
